One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.22Furukawa River at Hiroo

Hiroo field was a vast expanse just outside and to the west of Edo city, stretching between Shibuya to the north and Azabu to the south.
A river runs through the field, changing its name as it travels from upstream to downstream, from Shibuya to Hiroo to Furukawa to Akabane to Shinbori. It finally empties into Edo Bay after passing under Kanasugi Bridge on which runs the Tokaido Highway.
The fields on either side of the river were abundant with flowers, and sometimes larks were to be heard trilling merrily. This field was suitable for hunting quails with trained hawks. By order of shoguns, retainers feeding quails lived in the field and shoguns often visited there for hawking.
In spring, numerous people came to the field to collect tsukushi (field horsetails), an edible plant which Japanese love to eat cooked. Thus an alternative name for Hiroo field was Tsukushigawara (field).
Being located close to Edo city, the field was the site of frequent excursions by residents, who visited to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the river and flowers and to hear the singing birds.
In this print, Hiroshige depicts Shinohashi Bridge, spanning the Furukawa River, and the distant view of Hiroo field. Quite a few people are seen enjoying a walk on the beautiful field. At the foot of the bridge stands an eel restaurant where some customers are enjoying the scenery from the second floor windows. Beyond the restaurant, some roofs of the village houses surrounded by trees can be seen. The road on the right-hand bottom corner leads to Tengenji Temple, famous for the principal image of Buddha which was said to be carved by Prince Shotoku (574- 622), the founder of Buddhism in Japan.